Prince of Darkness
by AkumaKami64
Summary: There was only so much he could take. Minnie's memories chewing at his mind, the Nergal clawing for control, Mandy's coldness, Grim's frequent absence, Mimi's violent distrust, and his own guilt over too many things…each was a crack in Little Boy Death. Now, Minnie's betrayal might have shattered him...and sent him into Evil's welcoming arms. Diverges at "It's a good day to die"


Prince of Darkness

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Grim Tales. If I did, this would be on the SNAFU website.

Summary: There was only so much he could take. Minnie's memories chewing at his mind, the Nergal clawing for control, Mandy's coldness, Grim's frequent absence, Mimi's violent distrust, and his own guilt over too many things…each was a crack in little boy death. Now, Minnie's betrayal might have shattered him...and sent him into Evil's welcoming arms. Diverges at "It's a good day to die"

**coldblue**- I know you're probably going to read this, so I'd like to correct a misunderstanding we had- Slave to the True Death is NOT a GT/CG Xover, or I don't plan of it being one at least. When I said I've expanded into Code Geass, I meant I made a Code Geass fic called Nunnally of the Reboot: Angel of Zero. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Regular speak

_Thoughts and Emotions talking to person outside mind_

**Demonic or Animalistic speak**

_**Demonic or Animalistic Thought**_

Nergal-Beasts don't have names. They had no need for one. For all Nergal-beasts eventually fuse with their host's mind. This is true even if the host is not the original host. It just usually takes a long while in either case, more so if it's not the original. That's why everyone with Nergal powers, if they weren't full blooded, were half Nergal- no matter how far descendent from the original Nergal they were. However, in the case of a second host, the Nergal-beast is often given a nickname by its new host as they were not born with Nergal blood and therefore not use to having a symbiote, usually.

In the case of Minnie's former Nergal-beast, it was dubbed Gal by Grim Junior. Yeah, not original or clever, but it would do. It had been less than a month since the 'Halloween Town' episode and Gal's mind was still very independent of Junior's- though, he did gain some of his boyish attitude already. However, Gal was worried, scared even. Not for itself, but for his master- though, that was almost the same thing. There was something wrong with Junior. It never said anything. It didn't know what to say.

The only thing it could think on the subject was _**impressive**_. Why? Because Junior had acted like nothing was wrong and no one was the wiser. Most would think the issue was insignificant if a boy like him could hide it so well, but they'd be wrong. The best way Gal had to describe it? Junior was breaking. His mind was breaking.

Minnie's death had been the first blow. Then her memories bombarded and eroded him. Then...well, Gal was ashamed to admit it now, but the third blow was because of Gal's berserking as the Reaper-beast and nibbling on Junior's soul. The fourth blow had been the whole thing with HIM and Mimi in the Land of Tainted Souls. Actually, that was two blows. One for Minnie trying to kill him and another for HIM forcing Junior to acknowledge Minnie's lust for him. The final blow from that night had been the aftermath. Looking at the destruction of the town and realizing that it was, technically, his fault. Not to mention that Gal as the Reaper-Beast almost killed and ate the entire Grim Family.

Gal had tried to take over a few times after that, but lost the drive to do so with every failed attempt. It wasn't even that it was discouraged. It was the nightmares. Junior had them every night since that day. Everyone was the same yet they were all different. Junior would see flashes of people. Maybe his family, maybe not, neither of them could tell when they awoke. They heard screaming, but didn't know what they said. But Junior was always crying, silently when he woke up, and all he ever thought was _'I'm sorry, I'm sorry!' _over and over again.

There was only one reason Junior was able to still keep it together. And that reason sickened Gal, personally. The mental avatar of Nergal Senior always ended up hugging his grandnephew until Junior had himself under control. It really seemed bad to Gal, and Nergal for that matter, that Junior wasn't willing to share this with his Mother or Father. Neither of which seemed to have suspected Junior might be having issues from that night. Nergal Senior gave his son a pass because he was oblivious to Minnie's crush on Junior still.

But Grim and Mandy? Nergal Senior just shook his head at the thought of those two. Mandy, he got. She was a bitch, simple as that, and "wouldn't have time for a crybaby's hurt feelings". Those were Junior words too, that was the sad part.

Nergal Senior summarized that Junior's nightmares were caused by his guilt over everything from the Halloween incident to his previous attitude towards Minnie, and fueled by all his other emotional wounds. His deep jealousy towards Minnie had been caused by a lack of self-esteem on Junior's part, caused by the absence of his parents- Mandy being busy with the empire and Grim with being death. And they really, really didn't know how to be parents when they had Junior. Mandy hardly wanted to be one at all in the beginning.

They cared, Nergal and Gal knew- Mandy would never hold a scared Junior if she didn't- but Junior hadn't seen that. All he saw growing up was how much more attention Minnie got from them, even if it was slight. And with Nergal Junior slipping more towards Minnie, Junior had begun to feel like no one cared about him anymore, and he didn't know why. So, he had to blame either himself or Minnie. He had originally chosen Minnie. Now he chose himself, with interest.

However, as Junior and Minnie started to grow closer and patch things up, the nightmares left. Nergal Senior had been very relieved at that. It was a sign that Junior could grow past this and become stronger for it. Then it all came crashing down when Mimi arrived.

It hadn't been that she attacked him or anything. Junior already figured out that Mimi was trying to save Jeff from something and would do anything to do it. It wasn't even that Mandy had slapped him. As stated, Mandy was a bitch, just a relatively...politer one to her kids. No, the real start of the internal disaster had been when Junior heard Mimi scream from her most feared memory, the look on her face as the Red demonic essence was ripped from her body, and how helpless she looked when she lied there unconscious and Mandy ordered her to be taken to the dungeon.

Her scream, her look...they were all a perfect description of how Junior had felt those first few mornings after the Halloween incident. And something inside of Junior snapped at that very moment. And it had terrified Gal on some level. It was something ancient and dark, an old instinct that screamed to the world 'You will not hurt her!' Gal said he had stuck out his neck for Junior when they stood up to Mandy. Really? He did it because he didn't want to know what would happen if he didn't, if he let Junior fight without his help. Because no matter who won, who walked away, it wouldn't be pretty.

Minnie turned cold after that. Junior had tried to talk to her a few times he saw her in the hallway, but the cold look on her face and nasty feeling she gave off always stopped him. She was mad, at him, for some reason. He wasn't a genius, but he knew that. He was amazed over her not hating him for getting her killed or losing her powers. The nightmares had come back after that, worse than before. He didn't know what to do after that except keep trying to get Mimi to eat so that he didn't lose his sister's friendship in vain.

Junior really was a great actor. He bottled up his jealousy for years. It showed, but not so much that it ruled him, that it consumed him. Now he was bottling up everything and pretending nothing was wrong. It wasn't healthy and it couldn't last. But it was impressive how good he was at it.

Then there was the last blow, the blow that completely cracked Junior's spirit, leaving it vulnerable to the point where one more sorrow would break him completely. It had taken Gal, Nergal and Mimi off all people to barely repair him enough to keep him from blowing up or crumbling apart...

**Flashback**

"That was TOO close!" Junior exclaimed with a sigh of relief, flapping his wings.

**"Easy Kid! First time flyers have a tendency to mis-flap and crash,"** The Nergal warned. Though he was helping Junior control the wings, of course, if the boy accidently willed one or both wings the wrong way at the wrong time, things would get bumpy.

"Yeah, thanks," Junior said, starting to enjoy the feeling of flying before remembering who was in his arms, "Let's get Mimi back...to...," Junior started, only to freeze.

**"Kid? Junior? Junior! Keep flapping, dammit!"** The Nergal ordered, feeling Junior's mind go into shock. With as much control as he had, he pointed Junior's flight path towards the bedroom balcony, **"What the fuck got into y-...," **The Nergal started to curse again, only to stop as he saw with one of his many eyes what Junior had seen. Minnie, with a bow and arrows, _**'...Fuck,'**_ The Nergal cursed, coming to the conclusion Junior had. He repeatedly cursed his old mistress and this damn devil-girl in his mind as he and Junior crashed with Mimi, right into the bedroom, _**'This family is fucking disintegrating!'**_

Mimi groaned as she awoke, the days of not eating taking a toll on her now-human body. She blinked groggily as she found herself back inside the castle, in Junior's room even. She rubbed her eyes with the stubs of her handless wrists, thinking her little walk outside towards 'Jeff' and a muffin was just a dream. She went wide eyed as she took in her surroundings better. The room was a little wrecked, actually. Not much, but a dresser was knocked over and the rug was messed up. She then realized she was sitting on a body. A body of bones; which also had a familiar tuff of brown hair on the skull...and a new pair of feathered wings, which might have caused most of the wreck. She immediately glared at him with a hiss but soon stopped with a surprised look.

Not only did Junior not react to her at all, but his eye sockets were leaking something, something black. Tentatively, she brought her nose to his bones and smelt it...ash? She blinked and tilted her head at him, wondering...Was this how reapers and skeletons cried? If so, why was Junior crying?

**"Not now girl,"** The Nergal said as a lone tentacle with an eye rose out of the body, before another tentacle joined it and lay on her shoulder like a hand. This caused her to stiffen defensively, ready to pounce and bite it, **"He needs some time right now," **He said with a sigh, seeing the question mark above the half-demon's head, **"You...wandered out over one of the castle's horns. He went to save you...you fell and he caught you. We had a line to pull us up, but...something cut it,"** He explained, pausing for a moment, **"He sprouted wings and caught you again...but when we were going up, he saw what cut it...his sister,"** Gal elaborated, his tentacle dripping sadly,** "Kid needs some time to process it," **the Nergal-Beast summarized as he gazed upon his host with a sigh. Mimi had the same blank-stare she usually had, but she wasn't biting or anything, so he took that as some form of sympathy. His current 'main' eye, the one he used for speaking face-to-relative-face with, blinked as he remembered something. One of his tentacles slithered out across the room and then came back, handing something to Mimi.

She went wide eyed at the given object. It was a muffin. True, it was a bit damaged from falling to the floor and the recent crash Junior had, but it was still mostly whole, **"Skull boy here thought it might be something you would eat,"** The tentacle explained as she stared at it with still-surprised eyes,** "Look, me and this boy risked our necks to keep you safe from the Bitch and HE just had a little mindfuck trying to save you from a business meeting with his old man. The least you can do is eat the damn treat, ya hellcat!" **The Nergal all but snapped at her. He chose not to mention that the boy had more than one mindfuck over the past week or two and that some of them were caused by Mimi's continued pressence in the castle.

Mimi glared at the talking appendage, snapping her chops. She barely missed it, but still glared. After a small starring contest, she gave a small sigh before eating the treat, angling herself on all fours due to her stump. She blinked again at the taste and rapidly devoured the rest, **"I think there might have been more when we dropped the tray in here,"** The Nergal commented in amusement as the handless half-breed started to crawl around in search of the treats, reminding him of a cat.

_**'This little hellspawn may be a mean and jaded piece of work, but she does have some empathy left in her,'**_ The symbiote noted to itself before its mind went back to its ex-mistress, _**'What are you playing at, Girl? Are you declaring if you can't have him, no one will? Or is this just part of the Bitch's schemes?'**_ It wondered, the green eye narrowing in suspicion. Regardless of what others thought of it, the Nergal-beast had in fact been a part of Minnie and had been birthed from the womb of the Bitch Queen. It knew Minnie inside and out, and had inherited more than a few of Mandy's brains.

Being cold was one thing, but sending Junior to crash from several hundred feet? Either his ex-mistress- and he was starting emphasis the 'ex' more and more!- had gone off the deep end or there was something else going. Which, he didn't know...and couldn't care right now. Maybe it was from fusing with Junior more and more as the days went by or maybe it was some part of him from Minnie that truly cared for Junior. All Gal knew was that he was more concerned with keeping Junior stable than whatever jealous tantrum his ex-mistress was having over the hellcat.

"Gal...," Junior called lowly, the black tears of ash never ceasing to flow from his skull.

**"Take it easy kid. We had a bit of a cras-,"** Gal cautioned slowly, only to be interrupted midsentence.

"It was Minnie, wasn't it," Junior stated, not asked. He just needed someone else to confirm the reality he was facing.

**"...Yeah...Yeah, it was her,"** Gal confirmed solemnly, watching the boy in wonder of what he might do next. The reaper's mind was blank. Blank save for the image of his sister with her bow, glaring at him, and his mother watching right next to her. The Nergal-beast kept trying to place the emotion Junior felt towards the mental image, but...Gal couldn't.

"...Is Mimi okay?" Junior asked. Mimi tapped her foot on the food tray on the floor, getting the Heir of Death's attention. He looked and saw her look at him with a look that wasn't inviting by any imagination...but was not hostile or defensive like before,_ 'Guess that's some good news,'_ Junior though in humor that was hollower then his skull.

**"...Junior,"** Gal said, knowing someone had to talk to the skeleton. Mimi was out by default, Mandy would be a disaster, Grim would probably be useless, Pain was a brown-noser, and Minnie...no, just no. That just left Gal...which was ironic since that would be Junior talking to himself by some logic,** "Look, you know how Minnie can be. She's always been pinning for you, even if she couldn't admit it to herself. She's worked for years trying to get scraps of your attention and suddenly, this hellcat- **_'HISS!'_**- swoops in and becomes your top priority- and may I remind you said hellcat-**_'HISS'_**- captured your sister, busted into your home, and attacked you,"** Gal reminded gently. He wasn't making excuses for Minnie...he was making excuses for Junior to latch onto for now.

"...I know...I just never thought she'd do something like that to me," Junior said weakly, his wings curling around himself, "I know everything about her but I don't know what to do...," He said numbly.

"I'll take it from here, Gal," Nergal Senior said, appearing beside Junior to everyone's surprise. Mimi couldn't see or hear the apparition, but her psychic powers still picked up on something odd being there,"Junior, I can promise you that no one thought you were going to die."

"And how can you promise that?" Junior asked, a bit more bite in his question than he intended.

"If Mandy didn't think you could survive that fall, she would have snapped Minnie's bow with her own hands. Plus, you know Minnie. You know no matter how upset-"

"My soul is yours," Junior stated bluntly and piercingly, his tone bleeding with some hybrid of anger and sorrow, stopping Nergal Senior in his tracks, "Those were her exact words to me. I saw the depth of her love and her lust, the memories bombarding me like the rain of an endless storm...," Junior continued, some of Minnie's speaking habits bleeding over in his emotional state.

Nergal Senior smiled sadly, thinking that Junior understood the point he was going to make. Gal, on the other hand, looked far more concerned. For he sensed his master was not even close to being done.

"Then I knew her rage," Junior all but snapped, some kind of growling noise mixing in with his words, "If I can't have you, no one will!...That was what she said to me," He said lowly. His tentacles slithered out as his voice became demonic and his hood lifted itself up, his eyes glowing green and his hands becoming claws, "Well, I guess she really meant thatone,"Junior said wrathfully.

"Junior, don't do anything you'll regret!" Nergal Senior cautioned, knowing he couldn't do anything to physically stop him.

"I already have too many regrets. **What's one more?!"** He asked as he arose, his wings spreading and making him look the part of a Fallen Angel.

**"Wait,"** Gal called, actually bringing some sense of reason to his host,** "Kid...Junior, I'm all for a bit of destruction...but what will it do? You're not going to kill Minnie, we both know that. And even if you did, what then? Uncle Junior will hate you for killing his daughter, Grim will be pissed at you, and Devil only knows what that Bitch would do to you,"** Gal pointed out slowly,** "And you won't feel any better in the end. And this hellcat-'hiss...'- will be right where she started. Either under your mother's care or her father's, if she's not dead."**

"...What am I supposed to do then...?" Junior asked brokenly as Mimi stepped in front of him. With their complimentary color schemes, red and green eyes with white and black clothes, it was like an almost too perfect yin-yang standoff.

The now-Redless girl didn't speak, of course, but she gave him a small glare, an almost sad glare. A glare that was all too easy to read. _'Are you an idiot?'_

Junior gave a trembling sigh, his ash-tears only now starting to stop, "Yeah, I'm an idiot. That doesn't change the fact that everything is going to shit and it always seems to be my fault, even when I do the right thing," He said, more to himself than her.

Mimi starred at him for a moment before her eyes briefly glowed. Not red, but a light blue as she opened her mind to Junior's, _'There is no right thing,'_ She whispered into his mind, almost sympathetically.

"...Mimi? I don't need you to like me or anything, but...can you please just tell me you don't hate me?" Junior asked with a broken smile.

Mimi starred at him for a moment before she opened her mind one more time, showing him the short memory from Limbo of Jeff proclaiming them all best friends forever. It wasn't the answer Junior asked for...it was better, really.

**End Flashback**

Junior had managed to pull himself together after that. And while not much more welcoming or thankful, Mimi had toned down her aggression a lot in the wake of seeing Junior's true mental state. She could allow herself to go easy on the boy, and had continued taken the muffins that, she had to admit mentally, were delicious. She felt a tinge, just a tinge of guilt over the fact that her invasion sent him back into this state after starting to recover from it. Still, his mental and emotional condition itself was not her fault, nor was the lack of help or support he was getting.

The Underworld could be a shitty place to grow up. Mimi realized she was sort of lucky in that regards. She had a family that had truly and unconditionally loved her before her father ruined everything, quite literally. Junior had grown up with an amazingly normal, human personality under the care of Mandy herself and the Grim Reaper. That in itself was a miracle. She had seen the inside of Minnie's mind. The girl was never _'normal'_, even before Halloween. That girl wasn't just in love with her brother, she was damn near obsessed with him. If they lived apart and weren't siblings, Mimi was sure Minnie would have turned into a stalker.

It, privately, had astounded her on many levels that Junior had been sane prior to that. But normal and sanity, by human terms, usually did not last long in the underworld. Junior would have always broke, in a manner of speaking...it just didn't have to be this painful, this heartbreaking for him. Still, there was little she could do and less her untrusting nature would allow her to do.

Gal sighed as he thought the situation over. The simple truth was that Junior needed a break, a damn vacation. However, some higher power decided to take pity on the boy. They had caught wind that Mandy and Grim Senior were leaving for some meeting with "the council of the Underworld." Meaning they'd be gone for a few days at least, possibly even a week or two. That would give Junior time to lick his mental and emotional wounds. The trouble was that Minnie wasn't going, best as they could tell. But if Junior didn't have some big confrontation with her, he should be fine...

Or at least, that's what Gal was hoping for...

**Meanwhile**

A man hummed in his throat, sounding more like a growl with how deep it was. He was troubled, greatly, by his conversation with Skeleton Jack. It confirmed a great many things he had suspected and left him concerned with how to proceed. The actions he took on even the simplest of matters could change everything in the underworld and, indeed, in all realms. Mountains and canyons would form where he treaded, ending and beginning empires with every step…and all because of one Little Boy Death...

**Flashback-Halloween Town**

The town had seen better days, that was for sure. A fourth of it was heavily damaged from all the fighting and they had lost over two dozen citizens- not counting Oogie Boogie and his little henchmen. Still, they were putting their lives back together, repairing the city one day at a time and hoping to be ready for next year's Halloween. You can't keep a good dog down, as the saying goes.

The Zombie Band, dressed in their red-and-black stripped shirts, played their usual melancholic brand of music near the gates of Halloween Town. Jimmy, the tallest, on the accordion, which had a fish or eel skull on one end, making it seem like the whole thing the impression that it was once a living thing…maybe it was. James, the second tallest and still a lot shorter than Jimmy, played a saxophone with the ends looking like they would bite whoever came near it. James was the only one of the three that had any hair and was often thought to be the smallest because of a slight hunch he usually had. Jim was the actual shortest, a bit smaller than James, and also the fattest of the three. He played a bass guitar that had a visible head in its hole, which talked on occasion.

James raised an eyebrow as a figure clothed in a black cloak that obscured his or her figure entered the gates. The band, due to playing around the gate, knew everyone that frequently visited Halloween Town. This one wasn't a regular, that was for sure. James stopped playing to greet the stranger, but paused as the figure walked away, before shrugging and falling back into tune with his bandmates. Maybe it was some henchman of the queen.

Jack Skellington sighed as he looked around the ruins of what had been Oogie Boogie's club house. The whole thing looked like a crater, as the Reaper-Beast had ripped its way out from underneath the hideout, leaving a great hole in the ground, displacing the casino themed dungeon the King of Bugs had always had.

The boogieman had bit off more than he could chew, finally, in the form of Jack's nephew. The town was steadily fixing itself up, but it'd be a few years before Grim Junior could come back here without getting a few glares. This town was on the small side so everyone knew each other. So, everyone had lost someone. Jack was particularly sad about the three pranksters, Lock, Shock, and Barrel. He had always been trying to look after those kids, to turn them away from being Oogie's henchmen. He knew this was what would happen if they followed that bag of bugs.

"I see you're busy, Pumpkin King of Halloween," Someone called, making Jack freeze at the sound of that voice.

"No...it can't be," Jack whispered, stunned as he turned to see a cloaked figure standing up on the ledge of the ruins, staring down at him.

The figure pulled down his hood as Jack stood with a gaping mouth, "But I'd hope you could spare me a few moments to talk," He requested regally, his tone even but clearly upset with something.

"...Of course, Your Excellency," Jack answered, seemingly in awe...

"So, Kare is mixed up in this too. Just as I suspected," He said distastefully as Jack finished explaining what had happen to the town, "And you said that Grim Junior claimed Kare's claw was severed?" He asked, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Yes, Your Excellency," Jack answered respectfully, and a bit nervously, "By an Angel, one of the Redeemers to be exact," He clarified.

The man nodded slowly at that, "Junior escaped to Limbo as a result of Kare's daughter's assistance. With that, Kare will punish Mimi by sending her to try and steal Horror's Hand as a replacement for his lost claw," He mused, more to himself than the Reaper before him, "Once she fails, Mandy will reach the end of her patience for that lobster of a demon, giving her all the excuse she needs to launch a war against Kare; which is exactly what Kare is betting on," He mused.

"Sire?" Jack asked, confused.

"Kare knows that he is no match for Mandy in a full scale confrontation. But if Mandy makes the first official strike, it will make the other lords and ladies even more wary of Mandy's expanding empire. With that, a variety of creatures in the Underworld will come to Kare's aide, seeking to destroy Mandy. Others will go lapping at Mandy's heels to avoid destruction. The end result will be a complete war for the Underworld, or what's left of it afterwards at least," He explained, shaking his at the actions of the rulers of the underworld.

"But...if he sends his daughter to steal from Queen Mandy, won't HIM have made the first strike?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, but unfortunately, he isn't that stupid. Even if he was, it wouldn't matter. Even Mandy is bound by the rules of the Underworld. And though she may not have to obey the ruling of the council, she does have to attend it and give Kare the chance to explain and apologize his action. He'll spin any number of half-truths and lies to paint himself in a better picture, compared to Mandy at least. And Mandy's ruthlessness will play to his advantage," He explained.

"In which case, everyone will have to pick a side as the underworld is torn apart," Jack summarized, getting a solemn nod, "What are you going to do, Your Majesty?"

"Do, Jack? What makes you think I'll do anything? I left the Underworld in Mandy's hand years ago. Quelling the Lords and Ladies of the Underworld is her responsibility," He said evenly, scowling lightly.

Jack stiffened nervously, obviously not wanting to be the object of this man's displeasure, "That may be true, Sire...but that rings the question of just why you came at all," Jack pointed out boldly, getting a narrowed gaze from the man, but he bravely pressed on and elaborated, "Your spies and powers could easily have given you these answers. Infact, I'm sure they did. Yet, you came here and in person. I don't mean disrespect, Your Excellency, but...if you are here, that means you already intend to do something," He theorized.

"And why would I stop here then, O King of Halloween, if I had no need to?" The man asked with an imperial glare that not even Mandy could match.

"...Because Grim Junior was here," Jack answered knowingly.

The man stayed silent for a long time after that, before sighing, "Thank you for your time, Jack. I'll send some aid to help fix up your town," He assured as he headed out, leaving a very concerned Pumpkin King in his wake.

**End Flashback**

That had been several days ago; now the man stood amongst the barren wastelands of the Underworld, eyeing Castle Grimskull distastefully. His predictions had all come true or soon would at this pace of things. Mimi was captured and stripped of her demonic essence, Mandy and Grim were heading off to meet with the council, and HIM was already trying to convince Aku to join him.

However, none of that mattered to him. No, there was something he was far more concerned with than the petty squabble of HIM and Mandy. No, what had his attention was something far more important to him. In the castle, he sensed Grim Junior's soul wailing, more loudly at random times than others. He had been in pain, horrible mental agony from Halloween Night and its aftereffects on him. And like all souls in such a state, he was internally begging someone, anyone to notice and help him but was too ashamed to ask…and the Underworld was not a very safe place for such a soul.

"You summoned me, Master?" A voice called behind him, her eyes glinting in curiosity over what would be requested of her.

"...I need you to deliver a message to the council," The man answered solemnly as he glanced down at the black-hair female kneeling behind him.

"Oh? And what would this message be, Master?" She asked, surprised by the assignment. In response, he tossed her a Japanese-styled scroll. She caught it effortlessly and read it, her expression going from confusion to surprise to outright shock, "Milord...," She whispered, seemingly in awed by the implications of the message.

"I've left this world to Mandy's care for far too long. It's time to remind them of the order of things," He explained, his cold blue eyes glowing hauntingly.

The servant stared at the back of her master for a long while before slowly gaining a wicked smile and bowing her head, "Thy Will Be Done, Master," She said reverently as she rose to leave.

"Oh, and Shogun? Do thank Grim for babysitting my son for all these years," He added with a smirk, "And tell Kare...that his daughter will be in my care for a while."

"You're going to enjoy finally putting them in their place, aren't you, Choshek El Shaddai?" She asked with an eager look on her face, "I must confess, Milord, I thought you would remain detached and uninvolved with your dominions."

He turned, his smirk still on his face, "Guess I just needed a little motivation to get my act together."

And the crimson skies of the underworld grew dark...

End of the Chapter

Yeah, another really dark chapter. I've had this in the works sie the moment I saw "It's a Good day to Die."and the latest pages only fuel this idea for me. Again, this plays on the idea that Minnie's memories and the whole Halloween incident had more effect than in canon. In this case, a negative one. Between his guilt mixed Minnie's coldness and apparent betrayal, his mind, which is remarkedly human-like, is on the brink of fracturing.

This would also explain Gal's sudden turnabout in canon, where he went from trying to take over Junior to actively helping him. In this case, he's very worried about Junior's state of mind. Hence why he stopped Junior here from finally snapping.

And we get a look at someone who is, obviously, VERY high up on the food chain and, equally obviously, is Junior's father. And he's sending his 'Shogun' to deliver a message to all the 'rulers' of the Underworld at the council meeting. Yeah, that'll be an interesting thing to write.

Anyway, onto the QTP! Who is this "Excellency" really? And just WHAT is he? Why wass Jack so shocked to see him? What does he mean about reminding "them"(the council/underworld rulers) of the order of things? Or that he left the underworld in Mandy's hands? "Who is this 'Shogun'? Is Junior's mind going to break? How are the Underworld lords and ladies going to react to this 'message', Mandy and Grim included? Where will this man take Junior and Mimi? How will Minnie react when Junior's father comes knocking? And how will Junior react to his, apparently important, father? Why did this man have a child with Mandy in the first place, and allow Grim to reap Junior for that matter? Better question, why hasn't he ever checked in on Junior before now? Lastly...will Junior be able to heal and be happy where ever his father takes him?


End file.
